Participating in the Purple Comet Math Meet Competition was such a great opportunity for me to challenge myself as a learner. During the process of preparing for this competition, I not only could enhance my math skills but also learn how to think outside the box.

 

At the beginning of the competition, participants were constantly reminded that the purpose of this competition was not simply to assess math skills; but to measure how original the participants can be about a mathematical theorem. Therefore, in order to perform a successful outcome, I attempted to come up with examples that no one else would have ever imagined or even bothered to think of. Taking a specific example, when the trigonometric ratio concept appeared, I refused to use obvious real-life applications of trigonometry. Instead, I tried to think of examples where the trigonometry ratio was ignored, and therefore resulted in a problem.

I believe my efforts in creating these twists, would have eventually made me more outstanding and unique among other contenders. Although it was a challenging process, it really helped me expand my boundaries of approaching knowledge, and thus encouraged me to be a more creative thinker.